This volume was edited by the famous German humanistic scholar, Jacob Wimpfeling (1450-1528). As Wimpfeling explains in the dedicatory letter, Iohannes Nider drew his inspiration for this work, which surveys the "ant-hill" (Formicarius) of Christian society in his time, from the image of the purposeful ant in Proverbs 6:6. Accordingly, Nider treats the different status of Christian life (e.g., princes, prelates, priests, monks, enclosed nuns, etc.), and the contemporary perversions of religion (e.g., necromancy, witchcraft). In other words, Nider's work is another Dominican moral writing ad status. Of special interest is his treatment of the Beguines and Beghards, or laywomen and laymen who formed religious communities but did not live under religious vows. Such communities were widespread in Europe in the fifteenth century. The printer Johann Schott was active in Strassburg in the years 1500-1548.